Cedar Fair gets fair shake from CNBC's Jim Cramer

Cedar Fair CEO Matthew Ouimet gets the Jim Cramer treatment in this upbeat interview, in which the CNBC analyst has lots of nice things to say about the Sandusky-based amusement park operator.Mr. Cramer notes Cedar Fair's stock is up 43% since he last spoke with Mr. Ouimet in July 2012, and the company's most recent financial results beat Wall Street estimates.Mr. Ouimet says improvements at Cedar Fair stem in part from a new e-commerce program at its 11 parks, as well as implementation of best practices revenue management techniques from the cruise and hotel industries.Last weekend's opening of the new GateKeeper roller coaster at Cedar Point was huge, Mr. Ouimet says. Despite less-than-perfect weather, Mr. Ouimet says the park enjoyed its “best opening weekend” — he doesn't specify exactly what that means, but it seems to be measured by attendance — in its 144-year history.

Researchers are looking closely at whether some computer games can “ward off the cognitive declines that usually come with age,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

However, a Cleveland Clinic official quoted in the story is a bit of a skeptic.The Journal says a government-funded study published this month found that playing a game called Double Decision — it involved matching motor vehicle and road signs amid a series of increasing distractions — “can slow and even reverse declines in brain function associated with aging, while playing crossword puzzles cannot.” The study builds on an earlier large trial, which found that older people who played various cognitive games “had better health-related outcomes, driving records and performed better at everyday tasks such as preparing a meal,” according to the newspaper.Some doctors say there still isn't enough evidence to prove such exercises will help people in everyday life."What they do is they train you with a computer program to do better on a test" of cognitive function, Barbara Messinger-Rapport, director of the Center for Geriatric Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, tells The Journal. "But does that mean you do better on real-life activities that utilize those skills such as driving …or managing your medications?"

A research note from a Cleveland firm gave a much-needed boost to beleaguered retailer J.C. Penney.Bloomberg reports that Plano, Texas-based J.C. Penney's stock rose nearly 3% Monday after analysts at Cleveland Research Co. said deeper promotions this month have increased sales by bringing more shoppers into stores. (For J.C. Penney, 3% in a day is a big deal; the company's shares have slid 7.5% this year, compared with a 15% percent increase for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.)J.C. Penney “is working to improve sales after revenue last year tumbled 25% to $13 billion” amid former CEO Ron Johnson's failed attempt to remake the retailer, the news service says.

Research suggests the retailer has had a “significant” increase in sales and traffic early this month, helped by newspaper advertising and aggressive coupon promotions, Cleveland Research analysts led by Jeff Stinson said Monday in a note. Customers also have responded well to J.C. Penney's new marketing campaign, they wrote.

An acclaimed documentary about Youngstown boxer Ray Mancini has secured U.S. distribution rights and will be released theatrically this summer.“The Good Son: The Ray Mancini Story,” will be available to rent on Video on Demand via cable and satellite providers and iTunes on July 16, followed by a theatrical opening in select theaters nationwide on August 9. Distribution is being handled by SnagFilms.Here's how ProBoxingNews.com describes the film:The documentary tells the story of Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini, who wasn't merely the lightweight boxing champ — he was a national sports hero, personifying blue-collar toughness and tight ethnic family ties. His vow to win the championship for his father, the original “Boom Boom,” captivated the country. On the cusp of breakout celebrity, Ray fought Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim in an epic bout that left Kim in a fatal coma, and changed Mancini's life and boxing itself. Now, 30 years later, Ray Mancini faces Kim's fiancée and the son he never knew.“The Good Son” screened last fall in Youngstown and subsequently played the Hamptons International Film Festival and The Philadelphia Film Festival. It includes appearances by fellow Youngstown native Ed O'Neill (one of the stars of “Modern Family”), boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and Academy Award-nominated actor/boxer Mickey Rourke.You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio.

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